Development Planning in Pleasanton

Results of an interview with Janice Stern, the City of Pleasanton's Planning Manager

The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (DSEIR) is supplemental to the Environment Impact Report for the city's General Plan that was prepared in 2009. The potential impacts of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) are mostly favorable - reduced greenhouse gas emissions, so little or no mediation will be required.

The DSEIR covers

• Aesthetic impacts such as blocking the view of the Western Ridge
• Impacts on flora and fauna
• Health impacts
• Construction impacts
• Traffic impacts and level of service
• Noise impacts - which will be reduced by use of a new material for surfacing streets
• Hazards
• From Livermore airport
• From hazardous materials
• Odors

The DSEIR was prepared by ESA, the same consulting firm that prepared the Climate Action Plan (CAP)

In preparing the Housing Element Update an effort was made to make the process of selecting sites for rezoning transparent. The Task Force meetings and materials for them were publicized on the city's website. The meetings were open to the public and reasons guiding the choices were explained.

Many concerns were expressed, particularly concern about increased traffic and overcrowding of schools. As for making neighborhoods desirable and maintaining property values what is important is that developments are well designed and well managed. This is much more important than whether the development is for classifications such as single-family homes, multi-family homes, or affordable housing.

In its final form the Housing Element Update will accommodate approximately 2,000 units of high density housing for persons of low and moderate income. The sites designated for rezoning in the draft Housing Element Update provide for over 3,000 additional multi-family units. The original list of 21 sites (Table III-2 of the Draft Housing Element Background,

http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/pdf/DraftHousingElementBackground-082011.pdf)

was reduced to 17 during the course of deliberations of the Task Force. One of the remaining sites, Area 15 (Valley Trails), which had been regarded as a marginal candidate, has now been removed from the list. The Planning Commission is expected to approve only enough sites to allow construction of approximately the 2,000 additional units needed to meet the requirements of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

The Housing Element Update will be completed in January of 2012. Approval of development plans will take about a year, so groundbreaking at some sites could begin in 2013.